Jeremy Kerley on KNBR: ‘We have to have an aggressive attitude’

On Saturday, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jeremy Kerley signed a new 3-year, $10.5 million contract to remain with the team rather than become a free agent on Thursday. The newly re-signed receiver joined KNBR on Tuesday to discuss returning to the 49ers under a new coaching regime.

"I think for the most part, those guys are hungry with all this talk about being aggressive," Kerley said. "That's one thing I respect them for a lot. Their approach is definitely a winning approach. They want the right guys out there for the right fit, for the right people, for the right reason. I think they have a great mindset."

Kerley went on to say that he liked working in Chip Kelly's offense last year and that it was fun to play in the fast-paced unit. Unfortunately, that did not translate into victories.

What was Kerley's relationship like with his former head coach? "It was a personal relationship," he answered. "Anything that I kind of needed on or off the field – advice or whatever that I needed. I felt that he wasn't just my coach, he was a good friend of mine."

Kerley went on to admit that players got comfortable with losing last season and he believes that will change with new head coach Kyle Shanahan. "We have to have an aggressive attitude," Kerley said. "We can't settle for just being this mediocre team or being a team that performs this...we have to perform at the top all the time. That's kind of what was frustrating last year. That's part of the reason why I signed again because on the plus side of that, I see a couple of guys that are hungry and that will go out there and try to get it every time. That's the kind of guys that I want to play for."

Kerley feels that with Kyle Shanahan, who he believes has a great football mind, the 49ers will have a "pretty good" game plan every week.

You can listen to the entire interview on KNBR.

In 2016, Kerley was acquired by the 49ers via a trade with the Detroit Lions in late August, just prior to the team's final preseason game. The 49ers sent guard Brandon Thomas to Detroit and received Kerley in return. Last season, Kerley ended up leading the 49ers in receiving with 64 catches for 667 yards and three touchdowns.

On Tuesday, the 49ers officially released wide receiver Torrey Smith, who was supposed to be the team's number one receiver last season. That left Kerley as the team's most experienced receiver on the roster.

Prior to his time in San Francisco, Kerley spent five seasons with the New York Jets, who drafted him out of TCU in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. The Jets released Kerley in March of 2016 and he signed on with Detroit before being traded to the 49ers.